5.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Stand-up comedian Lance Barton is transported to heaven by a guardian angel, but there's been a huge error: Barton isn't supposed to die for 50 years. To correct the gaffe, Barton is returned to Earth in the body of an elderly white millionaire.
Starring: Chris Rock, Regina King, Chazz Palminteri, Eugene Levy, Frankie FaisonComedy | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Down to Earth is neither fresh nor stale. It's a remake of a of a remake based on Henry Segall's stage production Heaven Can Wait (the original movies, by the way, are Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Heaven Can Wait). This version stars Chris Rock as a comic with stage fright who dies unexpectedly and is brought back to Earth in the body of a wealthy businessman. The expected shenanigans follow with much of the humor stemming from the fact that the recently and dearly departed was a young black man now embodied in a middle-aged white man's body. It plays fairly well, for the most part, hardly the classics that are its predecessors, but for a retelling with a spicier, more modern kick it's not half bad.
Paramount brings Down to Earth to Blu-ray with a decent-to-, well, a little more-than-decent 1080p transfer. The picture certainly begins inauspiciously with some severe spotting and speckling and other signs of wear in the early going. It does settle into a decently filmic image with good, crisp details, a fairly neutral grain structure, and reasonably deep and accurate colors. The picture usually more than satisfies away from some processing that is readily apparent at times. The image is very flat overall; there's not a lot of depth or dimensionality to it, but when it is on even under these constraints it looks pleasing enough. Colors never find serious punch but do enjoy a fair bit of midgrade stability. Comedy routines are where the most abundant and expressive colors are to be found, but even beyond these scenes the general palette offers agreeable contrast and accuracy. Skin tones look about right, black levels are deep enough, and while whites don't leap off the screen, they are not overly pasty and creamy, either. The picture quality score probably tops out at a 3.5 and holds there for much of the film, but there are some struggles that prevent the high point from dominating the experience.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack accompanying Down to Earth is hardly out of this world. The track is straightforward and uninteresting, focusing primarily on basic dialogue with little else in terms of flavor or expansion beyond the front confines on offer. Surround usage is generally negligible at best, as is subwoofer output. The track is not thin, it's just not peppered with any real opportunities for punch and stretch. Music doesn't go very wide, and clarity and fullness are spotty. Even ambient jeers or gasps at various comedy performances lack real engagement or immersion. Dialogue is acceptably clear and is center positioned for the duration. The track is not terrible; it's just very bland and sonically uninteresting. A 2.0 track would have easily sufficed here.
This Blu-ray release of Down to Earth contains two extras. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with
a slipcover.
Down to Earth is a perfectly watchable film, but one can see vast areas for potential improvement. Rock is funny and gives it a good go, but the film would have worked better with another actor actually impersonating him, like the story actually demands. The rest of it is of the take-it-or-leave-it variety. Paramount's Blu-ray offers passable video and audio and a couple of extras. Worth a look.
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